Reference no: EM132890096

Overview: Description of the situation:  ?What are potential legal remedies that can be taken?

There are times when HR professionals are faced with workplace situations where the laws and policies are evolving and yet ethical considerations need to be addressed. Below is an emerging workplace situation where there is no absolute right or wrong answer, but the situation needs to be analyzed from various points of view.

An employee posted derogatory remarks about the organization and about another worker on Facebook. The organization's policies does not address free expression just "offensive" and "harmful" speech. The supervisor is concerned that the posting was dehumanizing, humiliating and could incite hatred again persons or groups because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. The supervisor comes to the HR manager to ask for guidance on how to address the employee. 

Possible Courses of Action: What might be some possible courses of action as it relates to the following:

1. What policies or procedures need to be reviewed, revised, or created?
2. What role should the HR professional play in this situation?
3. What kind of employee training might be needed in the future to address this concern?
4. What advice would you as the HR professional provide to the supervisor?